Of course, Mr. Picard isn’t seeking redress for the team’s ignominious standing in major-league baseball. Instead, he’s going after Mets owner Fred Wilpon, Sterling Equities and others as part of his effort to collect ill-gotten profits from investors in the Madoff fraud. The Mets’ owners have gained about $48 million — or about two and a half years’ salary for center fielder Carlos Beltran — from the Ponzi scheme.

The Mets owners are the latest to join Mr. Picard’s ever-growing list of defendants. JPMorgan Chase and HSBC are also recent entrants.